Cultivator.



lA. c. LINDGRHN.

CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION IILBD MAE.3, 1913. Lwmz. Patented Mg. u, 19M,

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PPLIATION FILED MAR. 3| 1913. ,191@6722, Patentd Aug'. l1, 1914;

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ALEXUS C. LIDGREN, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MOLINE PLO'WCOMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 3, 1913.

. Patented Aug. itil, 19114. serial No. 751,768.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALExUs C. LINDGREN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of RockIsland and State'of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cultivators, 0f-

' the rows at the outer sides 0f the wheels.

An equalizer thus hitched, while possessing the advantage of avoiding orstraddling the -rows pf plants, is objectionable in the reweight, ithasbeen customary to employ aA tongue truck consisting usually of one ortwo swiveling wheels so connected to the machine as to give support tothe tongue,

and in this manner prevent the weight from coming on the horses necks.This expedient has also been found to be objectionable when the machineis turned at the ends of the rows, or when the machine is backed up asmost farmers do,"after making the turn, the wheels of the truck in suchoperations assuming bad obstructing positions, and frequently beingtwisted out of shape.

t is the aim of the present invention to avoid these objectionsattendant upon the use of tongue trucks, and the invention co-nsists inso connecting the truck to the machine that it may be moved or shiftedfrom its supporting, operative position to an inoperative position whereit Iwill not interfere with the turning or backing or other movements ofthe machine.

More specilicall the invention consists in securing the truc to themachine so that it may be raised clear of the ground, and in providing alever mechanism within reach of the driver, by means of which the truckmay be elevated when the machine is turned or backed, so as not tointerfere with these movements. Inasmuch as the neck weight of thetongue on the team is only felt when the team is pulling with thecultivating tools 1n action in the ground, which conditions do notobtain when the machine is being turned or backed, it is manifest thatthe tongue needs no support atsuch times; hence I am enabled by myimproved construction to secure all the advantages of a high hitch, andat the same time avoid all the objections of a tongue-supporting truck.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention embodied in thefgrm whichat the present time I deem the 'most suitable for realizingthe objects and advantages sought, but it will be understood that theconstruction may be variously changed and modified within the skill ofthe mechanic without departing from the limits of my invention; andfurther, it will/be understood that the invention is not. limited to anyparticular form or construction of the parts, except in so far as/suchlimitations are specified i the ,claimsz/ l In theaccompanying/drawings: Figure l is a top plan View ofa two-rowcult-ivator, having my invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same, with the tongue-supporting truck in its loweredoperative, supporting position, as it appears when the machine is beingdrawn through thefield with the cultivating tools in operation; and Fig.3 is a similar view showing kthe supporting truck raised fromA theground to Van inoperative position.

Referring to the drawings, l-represents the frame of a two-rowcultivator, which frame comprises a transverse frame-bar 2, to the endsof which carrying-wheels 3-3 1are connected, preferably in such mannerthat they may swivel or rock on vertical axes in order to enable themachine to be i accurately guided in following deviations in the rows oplants. This frame-bar has the rear ends of two draft tongues 4 4connected xedly to it, which tongues extend forwardly and are suitablybraced to thek lframe-bar by means of diagonally-extend- .ing braces 5,5 and 6, 6, connected at'their forward ends to the opposite sides of thetongues, respectively, and connected at their rear ends to thetransverse frame-bar. The transverse frame member with the two tongueslixedly connected thereto, as described, constitutes in effect a rigidcultivator-frame, which frame gives support to 1 suitable cultivatorbeams 7 7, etc., equipped with the usual cultivating tools. A shortdistance in advance of the transverse frame member, a long transversebar 8 is provided, which is fixed y connected to the two tongues andcarries idler pulleys 9, 9 on its ends, around which an evener chain 10passes, and has connected with its opposite ends double trees 11, 1l,each equipped with two swingle trees 12, 12, for the attachment of thedraft animals.

14 represents a tongue-supporting truck, in the present instancecomprising two wheels 15, 15, mounted on the ends of a transverse axle1G having fixed to it between its ends a fore and aft extending collar17 containing in its side a circumferential slot 18. Within this collaris loosely mounted the rear end of a horizontal fore and aft extendingstem 19, which is confined in the collar by means of a pin 20 extendingoutwardly from the side of the stem and through the slot 18, thisarrangement limlting the rocking movement ofthe axle and wheels on thestem. At its forward end the stem is provided with a vertical stud 21,mounted to swivel in a vertical bearing opening in a bracket member 22,which bracket member is formed with a rearward extension 23, havingdepending stops 24 at its ends adapted to be engaged by the stem 19 andlimit the motion of the same as itswings back and forth horizontallyaround the vertical axis of the stud. The bracket member has rigidlyfixed to its opposite sides the rear ends of hanger bars 25, 25, whichbars extend forwardly, upwardly and outwardly, and have their forwardends pvoted by means of horizontal transverse pivot pins 26, 26, tofixed lugs 27, 27, depending from the under side of a bar 28 fixedlyconnected to the under sides of the two tongues some distance in advanceof the long bar 8 before alluded to. At its rear end the bracket member22 has connected rigidly with it the forward end of a fore and aftextending bar 29, which extends rearwardly and upwardly ,and is pivotedat its rear end between the rear ends of two brace bars 30, 30,extending forwardly with their forward ends pivoted as at 31, 31, to thehanger bars 25, 25, respectively, adjacent the point of connection ofthese hanger bars with the lugs 27.

From the construction ."escribed it will be seen that the sup ortingtruck is located some distance in avance of the carrying wheels of tbncuitivator, and is so connecte with tlc cultivator-fi l. ne that it willgive support to the draft tongue, while at the same time it is capableof a vertical movement with reference to the frame.

A vertical link 32 is pivoted at its lower end at the junction of thebrace bars 30 with the bar 29, and is pivoted at its u per end, as at. f32', to the lower end of a and lever 33,

pivotally mounted, as at 34, on a standard 35 rigidly connected with theframe of the machine, the said hand lever being provided with the usuallocking dog 36 adapted to engage in notches 37, 37, in a segment frame38 connected with the standard 35.

From the construction described, it will be seen that the tongue truckis connected with the frame of the machine at a point where it will givesupport to the tongue as the truck travels over the surface of theground in the position shown in Fig. 2. Further, it will be seen thatthe truck may be elevated bodily free of the surface of the ground bymeans of the hand lever mechanism, and locked in an elevated position,as shown in Fig. 3. When the cultivator is in action, with thecultivating' tools in the ground and the machine being drawn by thedraft animals, the truck is locked down in operative supporting positionby means of the hand lever and its connections, as shown in Fig. 2, andin this position it will prevent the draft on the evener mechanism fromcausing the neck weight of the tongues to be imposed on the draftanimals. Whe-.1 the end of the row being cultivated is reached and theteam is turned, the strain on the frame being relieved, the tendency toneck weight is also relieved and the drlver, by unlatching the handleverand drawing the same toward him, may lift the truck bodily up-'ward to an inoperative position free of the surface of the ground, asshown in Fig. 3. This will enable the team to be turned freely withoutobstruction, and also will enable the same to be backed up in startingon the new row, without obstruction being offered by the truck. Instarting down the second row, the hand'lever is again unlocked andpushed forwardly, with the result that the truck will be lowered to itsformer operative supporting position, in which position it will sustainthe tongues and prevent the neck /weight from being imposed.

In the operation of the machine with the tongue truck in its lowersupporting position, .the latter, due to its swiveling action, will actas a caster wheel and hence will not interfere. with the accurateguiding of the cultivator-frame, '.'hich in the present instance isaccomplished by the manipulation of the swiveling carrier wheels beforealluded to.`

It will be manifest that while I have shown my invention as applied inconnection with a special form 0f two-row cultivator, the invention isapplicable as well to other forms of cultivators and like machines, the

essence of the invention residing in the provision of a supportingdevice or truck adapted, when the machine is in normal operation, tosupport the draft tongue or device so as to relieve the neck weight onthe draft animals, and adapted to be moved from its sup- License portingposition to an inoperative position where it will not interfere with theturning or backing or like movements of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. In anagricultural machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, a ldrafttongue extending forwardly therefrom, a supporting device connectedthereto and adapted when the machine is in operation to travel along theground and give support to the said draft tongue, said supporting devicebeing movable relatively to said tongue and frame to inoperativenon-supporting position when the machine is out of operation, and meansfor controlling the movements of said supporting device.

2. In an agricultural machine, the combi- .nation of a wheeled frame, adraft tongue extendingv forwardly therefrom, a wheeled truck connectedthereto and adapted, when the machine is in operation, to give supportto the draft tongue, said truck being movable upwardly relatively tosaid tongue and frame to inoperative non-supporting position when themachine is out of operation, and means for controlling the movements ofsaid truck.

3. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, adraft tongue extending forwardly therefrom, a wheeled truck connectedthereto in position to give' support to the tongue when the machine isin operation, said truck being freely movable about an upright axissituated in advance of the axis of its wheels, and means for moving saidtruck relatively to the frame and tongue to an inoperative nonsupportingposition, when the machine is out of operation.

4. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, adraft tongue extending forwardly therefrom, a swiveling 'truck connectedthereto and adapted to give support to the tongue when the machine .is

in operation, said truck being movable relatively to the frame andtongue up and down, and means for controlling the up and down movementsof said truck.

5. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, adraft tongue extending forwardly therefrom, a wheeled truck connectedthereto and movable up and down relatively to the tongue and frame aboutan axis situated in advance of the axis of the truck wheels, and meansfor controlling the up and down movements of said truck.

6. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, adraft tongue extending forwardly therefrom, a tongue supporting deviceadapted to travel along the ground and give support to the tongue,hanger bars connected at their rear ends with said supporting device andpivoted at their forward ends to the draft tongue, whereby the saidsupporting device is movable up and down relatively to the tongue andframe, a lever mechanism on the frame, and connections between the levermechanism and the supporting device.

7 In an agricultural machine, the combination of a wheeled frame, twodraft tongues connected rigidly thereto and extending forwardlytherefrom, awheeled truck connected thereto between the tongues andadapted to give support to the tongues to relieve the neck Weight on theanimals when the machine is in operation, the said truck being movableup and down relatively to the tongues and frame, and means forcontrolling the up and down movements of said truck.

In testimony where'f I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.Y

ALEXUS C. LINDGREN.

Witnesses:

L. C. BLANniNe, JAMES J. LAMB.

